Railway switch controlling apparatus



Aug. 14, 1934.

J. J. VANHORN RAILWAY SWITCH CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 30, 1934 INVENTOR James J. Ualzlzorvz HIS ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 14, 1934 near RAILWAY SWITCH CGNTROLLHNG APPARATUS .i'ames J. Vanhorn, Swissvale, Pa., assignor' to The Union Switch & Signalv Gompany, Swissvale, lla., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 30, 1934, Serial No. 708,958

1 Claim. (Cl. 246140) My invention relates to apparatus for the control of railway switches, and particularly to apparatus of the type involving a fluid pressure switch operated mechanism and electric means for controlling the mechanism from a distant point such as an interlocking machine, together with means for indicating at such distant point the condition of the switch operating mechanism.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in the claim.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic View showing one form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character A designates a railway switch which is operated by a fluid pressure motor B, through the vice C. This valve device comprises a normal magnet N, a reverse magnet R, and a lock magnet L, which magnets control the valve device in such manner that when the normal magnet N and the lock magnet L are energized, the switch A is moved to its normal position, whereas when the reverse magnet R and the lock magnet L are energized, the switch is moved to its reverse position. Apparatus of the type thus far described, is standard and well known, and is illustrated, for example, in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,233,729, granted to Per Utne on July 17, 1917. inasmuch as the apparatus thus far described forms no part of my present invention,

, it illustrated diagrammatically in the accom panying drawing in order to simplify the disclosure.

Associated with the operating mechanism F are two contacts 23 and 2a, which are so operated that contact 23 is closed at all times except when the switch A is locked in its normal position, whereas contact 24 is closed at all times except when the switch is locked in its reverse position. Two other contacts 25 and 26 are also associated with the mechanism F, and are arranged that they occupy the positions shown in the drawing when the switch A is locked in the normal position,

are reversed when the switch A is locked in its reverse position, but are open when the switch A is unlocked. One means for controlling contacts in the manner specified, is illustrated and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,694,050, granted to H. S. Young on December 4, 1928.

The magnets of valve C are controlled by a pole-changer P, which may be operated by a lever of an interlocking machine located at a remote point from the switch A. Associated with the controlling lever is a polarized indication relay D having a contact 15 which is operated to a-nor- Inal or reverse position according as the relay is energized by current of normal or reverse polarity. This indication relay D may control the operations of the pole-changer by any means such, for example, as the apparatus illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,101,036, 5-: granted to B. F. Oler onJune 23, 1914.

Extending between the pole-changer P and the switch A are two control wires 1 and 2, and two indication wires 3 and a. The current for the operation of the valve magnets N, R and L and the indication magnet D, is furnished by a battery E located at the interlocking tower.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: As shown in the drawing, the pole-changer P is in its normal position, so that the normal mag- 7 net N is energized by a circuit which passes from the positive terminal of battery E, through the left-handarm of pole-changer P, wire 1, rectifier 5, magnet N, wires 10 and 2, and the right-hand arm of pole-changer P to the negative terminal of battery E. The rectifier 5 is so poled as to conduct current when and only when the polechanger P is in its normal position. Magnet N being energized, the switch A is locked in its normal position, so that contact 23 is open and contact 24 is closed. Indication relay D is energized in its normal direction by a circuit which passes from the positive terminal of battery E, through pole-changer P, wire 1, rectifier 5, Wire 11, contact 25, wire 3, winding of relay D, wire 4, contact 26, wire 13, rectifier '7, wire 2 and polechanger P to the negative terminal of battery E.

With the parts in the conditions just described, if the mechanism F should creep to an amount sufficient to unlock the switch A, contact 23 will close, whereupon the lock magnet L will become energized by a circuit which passes from the positive terminal of battery E, through polechanger P, wires 1 and 9, magnet L, contact 23, rectifier '7, wire 2, and pole-changer P to the negative terminal of battery E. Magnets N and L both being energized, the motor B will then operate the mechanism F to again lock the switch A in its normal position, whereupon contact 23 will again open, so that magnet L will become deenergized.

I will now assume that the operator reverses the position of the pole-changer P. The reverse magnet R will then become energized by a circuit which passes from the positive terminal of battery 1 E, through the left-hand contact of pole-changer P, wires 2 and 10, reverse magnet R, rectifier 6, wire 1, and the right-hand arm of pole-changer P to the negative terminal of battery E. Rectifier 6 is so poled as to conduct current when and only when pole-changer P is in its reverse position. The lock magnet L will also become energized by a circuit which passes from the positive terminal of battery E, through the left-hand arm of pole-changer P, wire 2, rectifier 8, contact 24, lock magnet L, wires 9 and l and the right-hand arm of pole-changer P to the negative terminal of battery E. Magnets R and L then being energized, the motor B will operate the mechanism F to shift the switch A to its reverse position. When the switch A becomes locked in its reverse position, contact 24 will open, thereby deenergizing the lock magnetL, but if the mechanism F should creep to a sufficient extent to unlock the switch, this contact will again close to energize magnet L and thereby relock the switch in its reverse position.

When the switch becomes locked in its reverse position, contacts 25 and 26 will be fully reversed, and the indication magnet D will then become energized by current of reverse polarity, the circuit being from the positive terminal of battery E, through the left-hand arm of pole-changer P, wire 2, rectifier 8, wire 14, contact 26, wire 4, winding of relay D, wire 3, contact 25, wire 12, rectifier 6, wire 1 and the right-hand arm of polechanger P to the negative terminal of battery E.

The operation of the switch from its reverse to its normal position will be obvious from the foregoing description without any detailed explanation.

One advantage of apparatus embodying my invention, is that only four wires are required between the control lever and the switch for the control and indication of the switch. Another advantage is that separate battery and common wires do not need to be extended throughout the limits of an interlocking plant to provide energy for the indication circuits and common return for the switch valve magnet circuits.

In the accompanying claim I have used the expressions positive terminal of a rectifier and negative terminal of a rectifier. By positive terminal I mean the terminal which is positive with respect to the other terminal when current is flowing through the rectifier in its low resistance direction. By the negative terminal I mean, of course, the other terminal of the rectifier. In the case of copper oxide rectifiers, the positive terminal is the terminal associated with the oxide, and the negative terminal is the one associated with the copper.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In combination, a railway switch, an electropneumatic operating mechanism for said switch including a normal magnet and a reverse magnet and a lock magnet, two control wires, means including a control lever for supplying current of normal or reverse polarity to said wires according as said lever is in normal or reverse position, means for connecting said normal magnet across said two wires through a rectifier poled to conduct current when said lever is in normal posltion, means for connecting said reverse magnet across said wires through a rectifier poled to conduct current when said lever is in reverse position, means for connecting said lock magnet across said two wires including two multiple paths one of which contains in series a rectifier poled to conduct current when said lever is in normal position and a contact closed at all times except when said switch is locked in normal position, and the other of which paths contains in series a rectifier poled to conduct current when said lever is in reverse position and a contact closed at all times except when said switch is locked in reverse position, a polarized indication device associated with said lever, means for connecting one terminal of said indication device with the negative terminal of said first rectifier or with the positive terminal of said second rectifier according as said switch is locked in normal or reverse position, and means for connecting the other terminal of said device with the positive terminal of said third rectifier or with the negative terminal of said fourth rectifier according as said switch is locked in normal or reverse position.

JAMES J. VANHORN. 

